Do you mind if Adriana Lima watches you eat Peruvian food?

In case you’re not up to date on your Peruvian fun facts, know this: the first ever potatoes were cultivated in Peru, they’ve got the highest and funniest of lakes (Titicaca), and, ironically, Adriana Lima is not from Lima, but rather Brazil. However, she does make a cameo in a pop art mural in Tanta’s dining room, looking over you like a heavenly bare-breasted angel as you dig into a menu from one of Peru's biggest chefs, laden with shareable cebiches and piscos to wash them down, as well as this Peruvian fish & chips plate with fried plantains coated in cebiche sauce.

The 100-seat space sports Incan accents, a South American ipe wood bar top, and, behind it, eight beers on tap including 5 Rabbit Paletas, two house-kegged cocktails, and a selection of piscos. The concept comes from chef Gaston Acurio who has 37 restaurants in 16 cities, including Astrid & Gastón, recently ranked a top 15 restaurant in the world (oh, what a guy, Gaston!).

Beef heart skewers come with chimichurri potatoes, huacatay, and giant kernels of corn called choclo -- it’s not genetically modified food, it’s just how they do things in the 011 + 51 + 1 (Peru’s area codes don’t seem to flow as well as ours).

Tanta celebrates Peru’s diverse culture by injecting Japanese and Spanish flare into an otherwise Peruvian street-food-centric menu. In addition to traditional street anticuchos (skewers), there's a selection of ceviche, nigiri, and causitas, or whipped potatoes fused with seafood. The restaurant's lively atmosphere -- and creative menu -- tempts you to indulge in fruity, colorful cocktails made with pisco brandy made in the wine regions of Peru.